All posts tagged ‘adam warrock’

Ken and I really struggled to find a way to celebrate the 100th episode of GeekDad HipTrax without simply rehashing a bunch of stuff we’ve already featured. After some careful deliberation we submit for the approval of our longsuffering listening community the following collection which we have dubbed “The HipTrax Definitive 10.”

It’s 10 songs from 10 distinct artists that truly encapsulate what the geeky music meta-community is all about, and it includes old and new tracks like:

8 Bit Weapon and ComputeHer recently put together a compilation spanning 14 years of chiptune magic. The 8 Bit Weapon Collection 1998-2012 weighs in at an impressive 56 tracks, and it’s available for download now via Bandcamp.

Last month Adam WarRock worked with Opera Memphis to shrink the four acts of Puccini’s La Boheme down to a tight four-track hip-hop EP. High culture and pop culture collide in this fascinating display of narrative lyricism.

Shnabubula’sFading Light consists of 10 improvised piano pieces that the artist recorded during a very trying personal period. Though originally intended as little more than disparate exercises, they actually fit together into a truly moving musical arc.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax #99 via this link.

The HipTrax theme song was created by the one and only Snake Eyes. He lives the bohemian life in an exotic land called Canada.i

While trying to convince my wife to join the rest of the family in watching the latest episode of Disney Channel’s Gravity Falls, I was asked to describe the show. I went on to tell of an animated series that combines the warm family element of Phineas and Ferb and outlandish characterization of Adventure Time with the snowballing conspiracies of the X-Files and Twin Peaks’ patently surreal setting. In short: a pair of quirky but supportive siblings head to an isolated town to spend the summer with their great uncle, and mystery ensues.

That served to get her attention. Just as it had captured mine.

There comes a time in every dad’s life when he must admit that he’s a slave to nostalgia. But the first step is, of course, simply admitting you have a problem. After that point you learn to meter your you-kids-today-have-it-so-easys and your back-in-my-days. If you’re really lucky you can also eliminate the bulk of your they-don’t-make-’em-like-they-used-tos.

The truth is, on many levels, they make them better than they used to. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the realm of children’s entertainment — specifically cartoons.

Gravity Falls represents many things; it’s a visual triumph powered by witty writing and a stellar voice cast, but it’s also a continuation of Disney Television Animation’s epic legacy. From The Gummi Bears to Darkwing Duck to Gargoyles, these properties blended varying amounts of adventure and humor, but their greatest asset was an unwavering level of quality. The continuing saga of Dipper, Mabel, Grunkle Stan and their extended cast of eccentric Oregonians is all this and more. Aided by the literal decades of advancements in animation technology since that television “Golden Age,” the show boasts both a new-school focus on plot and characterization and Disney’s historic attention to detail.

The end result? Easily one of the strongest, smartest, geekiest cartoons of all time.

Internet hip-hop sensation Adam WarRock (AKA: Eugene Ahn) is a longtime ally of GeekDad, and our blog recently gave back in the form of sponsorship. His current tour – he’s on the road throughout September with fellow members of the rap clique NO FRIENDS – was funded both by special releases from the artists themselves and a little scratch from like-minded businesses and communities such as GeekDad and Rutgers University’s Geek Week.

Before last weekend’s departure, Adam took some time to chat with me about the tour itself, his current television obsession and his plans for the remainder of 2012.

Z.: You’re about to kick off the NO FRIENDS Tour 2012 starting in the Midwest and moving down the East Coast. What was the impetus of this tour? What made you want to take to the road with Jesse Dangerously, Mikal kHill and Tribe One?

Adam WarRock: Me and kHill had planned to do a tour together a while ago, and it just kinda grew from there in inviting Jesse and Niles. Plus, we all have such a good time with each other when we’re at festivals or other concerts, that we figured we might as well ruin that by being stuck with each other for 2 straight weeks. Continue Reading “Adam WarRock Embarks on No Friends Tour 2012″ »

This Monday GeekDad was thrilled to premiere the newest video from rapper Random, a wonderful visual interpretation of this Kafka-inspired track directed by Max Isaacson. And just yesterday Ran followed it up with the release of the 2nd volume of his Language Arts collection.

The latest from Seattle chip-hoppers Supercommuter features the Godfather of Nerdcore MC Frontalot along, fellow PacNW geek rapper Beefy, electronic artist Square Wail and the smallest commuter of them all Itty Bitty Bot. Grab your copy right now from Bandcamp for whatever you’d like to pay.

WarRock will be on the road next month with Tribe One, Jesse Dangerously and Mikal kHill as part of the NOFRIENDS 2012 tour. Be sure to catch ‘em when they come through your burg, and don’t forget to check out Adam’s own Gravity Falls fan podcast.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax #94 via this link.

The HipTrax theme song was created by Snake Eyes. He also likes that MC Frontalot is tall.

This Monday GeekDad was thrilled to premiere the newest video from rapper Random, a wonderful visual interpretation of this Kafka-inspired track directed by Max Isaacson. And just yesterday Ran followed it up with the release of the 2nd volume of his Language Arts collection.

The latest from Seattle chip-hoppers Supercommuter features the Godfather of Nerdcore MC Frontalot along, fellow PacNW geek rapper Beefy, electronic artist Square Wail and the smallest commuter of them all Itty Bitty Bot. Grab your copy right now from Bandcamp for whatever you’d like to pay.

WarRock will be on the road next month with Tribe One, Jesse Dangerously and Mikal kHill as part of the NOFRIENDS 2012 tour. Be sure to catch ‘em when they come through your burg, and don’t forget to check out Adam’s own Gravity Falls fan podcast.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax #94 via this link.

The HipTrax theme song was created by Snake Eyes. He also likes that MC Frontalot is tall.

Though not technically released until June 1st, those who pre-ordered The Protomen’s new live tribute Present: A Night of Queen– like our own Ken Denmead – received the album early. The rest of you will have to wait, but we’ve provided a couple of tracks to tide you over.

While not serving as a member of Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew, Brad Podray participates in a number of other unique musical projects. In his new release Soundtrack for a Great Adventurehe provides a selection of ten amazing (and totally free) instrumentals to serve as backing tracks to whatever excitement awaits in your daily life.

Having already conquered the worlds of comic book- and television-inspired music, Adam WarRock recently set his sights on the realm of anime. And since no property is more deserving of a hip-hop tribute than seminal 1988 classic Akira, that’s exactly what Adam’s Neo-Tokyo EP provides.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax #89 via this link.

The HipTrax theme song was created by Snake Eyes. He’ll save every one of us.

Though not technically released until June 1st, those who pre-ordered The Protomen’s new live tribute Present: A Night of Queen– like our own Ken Denmead – received the album early. The rest of you will have to wait, but we’ve provided a couple of tracks to tide you over.

While not serving as a member of Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew, Brad Podray participates in a number of other unique musical projects. In his new release Soundtrack for a Great Adventurehe provides a selection of ten amazing (and totally free) instrumentals to serve as backing tracks to whatever excitement awaits in your daily life.

Having already conquered the worlds of comic book- and television-inspired music, Adam WarRock recently set his sights on the realm of anime. And since no property is more deserving of a hip-hop tribute than seminal 1988 classic Akira, that’s exactly what Adam’s Neo-Tokyo EP provides.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax #89 via this link.

The HipTrax theme song was created by Snake Eyes. He’ll save every one of us.

In this edition of the podcast we catch up with a trio of GeekDad HipTrax favorites. We uncover new music, reflect on some older material and, of course, look toward the majesty of the near musical future.

8 Bit Weapon and Computeher are back with a brand new album, Bits with Byte. Several songs from this release (along with some of their earlier tracks) will be featured in the forthcoming “The Art of Video Games” exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In addition to providing fans with tons of free music, like this cover of Lion‘s Transformers theme from last year’s Angry Robot E.P., GeekDad John Anealio is also instructing the community in the finer points of music theory via a series of posts focused on the GarageBand app.

Former lawyer and current professional hip-hopper Adam WarRock had a phenomenal showing last year, and it looks as though 2012 will follow suit. With both a tour with fellow comic book lovers Kirby Krackle and a new album coming in early February, he is most definitely starting strong.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax #81 via this link.

The HipTrax theme song was created by Snake Eyes. He is a robot in disguise.

This has been a banner year for geeky music. From Anthrax’s epic zombie-slaying anthem to one of Weird Al’s finest efforts to date, 2011 has come correct with the musical magic. But despite breakthrough releases by acts like I Fight Dragons and Jonathan Coulton at long last capturing imaginations on the more studious side of the mainstream, many other artists still managed to stay under the pop culture radar.

And since I cannot, in good conscience, allow these most notable of efforts to go unnoticed, I’ve compiled a handy list of 12 more phenomenal tracks that may have unwittingly passed you by.